Something I didn't get to mention in this pod: last week a friend--a "friend"--bullied me rather brutally. I felt this hot column of anger arise from my root chakra and blast all the way up to the crown, and I blurted out a very mean remark in retaliation. 🙇🏻♀️
And then I remembered the 12-step prayer, "God save me from being angry."
As we drove home in stony silence, I tweaked the prayer internally. Not "God save me from being angry," as I felt the anger was appropriate. Instead, I prayed, "God save me from harming myself or others with my anger."
As I repeated that prayer, I felt a surge of life-force energy in every cell of my being.
Once again demonstrates the vitality of anger when met with awareness and discernment.
This is a very timely message for me. Historically, I have been a mix of acting in and acting out. I want to learn more about how to act wisely. Thank you for your wise message.
Love the differentiation of "acting in." And I appreciate the analogy of seeds that only open with wildfire.
After three decades of work, I'm very comfortable with "wise anger." In accordance with your own teaching here: Anger is a friend that shows me what is needed next. Usually, it's calling forth a boundary or a "no," or "no more." It's not personal, it's an indicator. It burns clearly and purely. I'm not a victim, and the onus for change is on me, with divine assistance of course.
It's so important to get comfortable with anger and do the work, especially those of us that have been raised and conditioned to be conflict-avoidant.
Fully agree with you about working through resentment! Resentment is another red flag, as we know, pointing to a need for change.
Regarding hatred: I will say that honest experiencing or recognition of the ice-cold emotion of hatred can be very important and ultimately healing to acknowledge. To feel it somatically, not to identify with or attach to, but rather to allow it to move through. I find many folks are not willing to feel and acknowledge hatred of old, and therefore it can't move and clear. Honest facing of hatred is deep, deep shadow work.
Great pod episode, Marcella. Wishing you all the best with The MP moving forward! And thanks for the lymph-scrub reminder!
The friend that shows you the next right action is the seed that can be opened only by the anger. And you're right about the hatred as well. Like any other strong state of mind, it's good to become curious and inquire, and when we do, some deeper medicine emerges.
I named this Substack "The Marcella Principle" after St. Marcella, who lived in the days when the sport of the day in the declining Roman empire was cheering and jeering as the Christian martyrs were eaten by lions. What a parallel to current times, when society is gorging on the same gladiatorial hatred, except this time it's behind our individual screens. Easy to be a keyboard warrior; harder to be a warrior of the heart and metabolize that hatred into wisdom.
In any case, thanks for the cheers, and back atcha! Your fabulous podcast, which I listen to religiously, inspired me forward! Let our voices ring!🎙️
Something I didn't get to mention in this pod: last week a friend--a "friend"--bullied me rather brutally. I felt this hot column of anger arise from my root chakra and blast all the way up to the crown, and I blurted out a very mean remark in retaliation. 🙇🏻♀️
And then I remembered the 12-step prayer, "God save me from being angry."
As we drove home in stony silence, I tweaked the prayer internally. Not "God save me from being angry," as I felt the anger was appropriate. Instead, I prayed, "God save me from harming myself or others with my anger."
As I repeated that prayer, I felt a surge of life-force energy in every cell of my being.
Once again demonstrates the vitality of anger when met with awareness and discernment.
This is a very timely message for me. Historically, I have been a mix of acting in and acting out. I want to learn more about how to act wisely. Thank you for your wise message.
Mary thanks for posting! Glad you found it helpful. For guidance on how to act, you might want to listen to this: https://open.substack.com/pub/themarcellaprinciple/p/discovering-the-sacred-in-turbulent?r=1dbsl5&utm_medium=ios
Love the differentiation of "acting in." And I appreciate the analogy of seeds that only open with wildfire.
After three decades of work, I'm very comfortable with "wise anger." In accordance with your own teaching here: Anger is a friend that shows me what is needed next. Usually, it's calling forth a boundary or a "no," or "no more." It's not personal, it's an indicator. It burns clearly and purely. I'm not a victim, and the onus for change is on me, with divine assistance of course.
It's so important to get comfortable with anger and do the work, especially those of us that have been raised and conditioned to be conflict-avoidant.
Fully agree with you about working through resentment! Resentment is another red flag, as we know, pointing to a need for change.
Regarding hatred: I will say that honest experiencing or recognition of the ice-cold emotion of hatred can be very important and ultimately healing to acknowledge. To feel it somatically, not to identify with or attach to, but rather to allow it to move through. I find many folks are not willing to feel and acknowledge hatred of old, and therefore it can't move and clear. Honest facing of hatred is deep, deep shadow work.
Great pod episode, Marcella. Wishing you all the best with The MP moving forward! And thanks for the lymph-scrub reminder!
Thanks, Erin. As usual, you nailed it. 🎯
The friend that shows you the next right action is the seed that can be opened only by the anger. And you're right about the hatred as well. Like any other strong state of mind, it's good to become curious and inquire, and when we do, some deeper medicine emerges.
I named this Substack "The Marcella Principle" after St. Marcella, who lived in the days when the sport of the day in the declining Roman empire was cheering and jeering as the Christian martyrs were eaten by lions. What a parallel to current times, when society is gorging on the same gladiatorial hatred, except this time it's behind our individual screens. Easy to be a keyboard warrior; harder to be a warrior of the heart and metabolize that hatred into wisdom.
In any case, thanks for the cheers, and back atcha! Your fabulous podcast, which I listen to religiously, inspired me forward! Let our voices ring!🎙️